Afghan
officials say the civilians were attending a wedding party Sunday near
the border with Pakistan. A local official, Shokur Shinwari told VOA's
Afghan service that 10 women and 10 children were among those killed.

The U.S.-led coalition says its missiles only struck militants, adding that no women or children were present in the area.

Meanwhile,
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered an investigation into
allegations that a coalition aircraft targeting militants killed at
least 15 civilians Friday in a remote district of eastern Nuristan
province.

A coalition statement, released Saturday, denied that any civilians were killed or injured in that attack.

The
United Nations says nearly 700 Afghan civilians have been killed this
year in crossfire between Taliban insurgents and foreign forces. Mr.
Karzai has previously called on foreign troops to minimize civilian
casualties.

Elsewhere, Afghan officials say three children were
injured Sunday when a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb near a German
police training mission in northern Afghanistan.